The Other Side of This Life
by SloanAndGrey
Summary: When Mark and Lexie get a job offering to move to Los Angeles, they decide to take it, wanting a new start. Though, starting over and making a family isn't as easy as it looks to be.
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY: After the plane crash, Mark and Lexie are left to recover their injuries. Once they are healed, Mark tells Lexie that he wants to move to Los Angeles. It's a start over for them, and he loved it so much down there that he had wanted to move down there. Lexie agrees, but she isn't sure.

NOTE: This is completely AU. Everything is canon up to the episode where Lexie and Mark crash, except Lexie doesn't die. In this, Lexie has passed her boards and is an attending.

A/N: First chapter is going to be short, so I can see what everyone thinks of the idea.

* * *

The park's sunshine shined vibrantly through the trees, as Mark pushed the stroller through the path, with Callie and Arizona by his side. He was trying to spend as much time as he could with them, as well as Sofia, before their move. It's been months since the crash, and after all the physical therapy, things have seemed to settle back down to a somewhat normal life. And after a job offering from Addison to move down and begin a new addition to their practice, Mark runs it over with Lexie and she agrees. Through the next few weeks, Mark and Lexie had looked for a house to buy, and decided one right on the beach. Amelia had told Lexie that she wanted to work with her, and therefore, gave Lexie a reason to move down to Los Angeles. She wasn't too keen on it, but she's ready for something new.

Arizona's blonde hair blew softly in the breeze, and Callie's black hair brushed over her shoulders. Sofia's giggling sounds were heard, as she played with a doll in the stroller. Callie glances at the view of the city; it's beautiful. Not many days were like this. The city was full of rain and weather of all sorts, usually, but that had gone away for one day.

"So this is really it," Arizona said to herself. "You're absolutely positive you want to move to Los Angeles?" She asks, looking up to Mark.

Callie looks up to Mark, following suit. "This is another big move, Mark. You don't have to-"

"I need to." Mark says, sighing. "But I want holidays with her. Thanksgiving, if not Christmas. And her birthday."

Arizona laughed a little, before nodding. "Yes, you can have her for Thanksgiving and her birthday. We'll discuss Christmas."

Callie looked out at the view, sighing softly to herself. "You're not gonna miss this?"

Mark sighed, turning the stroller so Sofia could look at the view. "I will. But I need to do this. You guys know why."

Callie patted Mark's back, as Arizona nodded, looking out at the view that was set before them.

\- M & L -

Lexie's hands fumbled with her cup, as she stared at the last box in their apartment. Meredith had come over to help with the move, and Derek was on his way after he got out of the hospital. Meredith, in her college hoodie, looked around the empty apartment with a sigh.

"I think that's everything!" Meredith said before looking over to Lexie, with a small smile.

Lexie looked saddened, but glad to have a new start. Somewhat. "I told him that we should keep the apartment. Too many good memories here. Well, memories."

Meredith frowned a bit, before walking over to Lexie and hugging her. "You're doing a good thing. Besides, Derek and I might be moving to DC, and I think you'd prefer a beach over Washington."

Lexie laughed a little, nodding as she hugged her back. "Are you actually moving, or are you just saying that?"

Meredith shrugs, pulling away from her sister. "No, we're considering it. I don't like it, but I'm counting on you to tell me what it's like. Living outside Seattle."

Lexie smiles, before lifting the last box up, before setting it down abruptly. "Ow," she says, hands immediately moving to her legs.

Meredith comes to her side, ready to help. "Are you okay? I thought you said your legs were feeling better today?"

Lexie shrugs, having the wind knocked out of her. "I'm... I thought they were," she says with a shake of her head. "It'll pass. It's one box."

Meredith sighs, before picking up the box. "I'll get it. You've got a plane to catch soon. Don't wear out your legs."

"Meredith, they're fine. I've... my physical therapist told me I'm gonna get pain like this every now and then. It'll shorten over time, but... it's gonna happen."

Fumbling with the box a bit, Meredith nods slowly. "Okay," she says, accepting it before signaling a nod to the door. "Let's go. Derek's gonna be here soon to bring you guys to the airport."

Lexie digs into her pocket, before leaving her key onto the counter. "One last check, before I lock us out and we leave something here with the key inside." She laughs, before walking back to their bedroom. Meredith can't help but roll her eyes, before dropping the box to go help her sister make her last check.

\- M & L -

The airport is busy, as the three walk inside. Their bags in their hands; just what they'd need for the first night. Their things would be shipped the next day, and their first night would be spent on the floor of their new home. Derek has his hands in his pockets, as he looks around. Mark and Lexie walk together behind him, as their gate was just ahead. They still had to go through security, before being able to board their plane in an hour. Derek turned around, smiling at them.

"Found it," he says with a grin, as people push past them, getting to their own gates.

Mark has a backpack on his back, and Lexie has her purse. It's their first time flying, and she can't help but admit that she's terrified. But she's got medication that the Chief had given her, and Mark was going to be there with her. She breathed softly, smiling at her brother.

"You sure you can't stay?" She asks, as Mark looks around, needing to find the bathroom.

Derek shakes his head. "I've got a craniotomy at 9, and you guys need to get to LA. Are you sure you're gonna be fine?"

Mark looks at him with a smile. "She's a Grey, Derek. She can handle anything."

Lexie breathes with a smile, nodding hesitantly. "I'll be fine. It's only an hour and a half."

Derek nodded, before looking up at Mark. "Tell Addison I said hi. The whole crew," he says, before pulling Lexie into a tight hug.

He holds her close, feeling her shake a bit, knowing this was going to be hard. But Lexie was strong. He rubs a hand on her back, before she places a kiss onto his cheek. Derek pulls away and gives Mark one of the bro hugs, before patting him on the back.

"I'll see you two soon. Sorry I have to get out in such a rush," he says, before Lexie shakes her head.

"Go. It's a beautiful day to save lives." She says, smiling, as Derek grins back. Mark is still looking for the bathroom, before he finds one down the hall.

Derek begins to walk away, waving goodbye, before rushing out. The clock read 8:21 PM, as Mark dragged Lexie to the bathroom.

"I _need_ to pee," he says, before she can't help but let out a laugh.

\- M & L -

On the plane, she makes sure the window is shut and that everything is in order. Mark holds her hand, which is gripping him tightly. She can't help but do so, as the fear was strangling her. But she needed to be fine; it was just this once. And plane crashes were so rare - but they happened to _her_ _._ She breathes softly, before Mark pulls out his laptop from his backpack.

Lexie looks at him with a confused look, before he pulls out headphones.

"Wanna watch a movie?" He asks, looking over to her, as she smiles. He knew just how to take the uneasiness off of her.

She breathes out a yes, smiling after. This time, it's a true smile. She feels her shoulders relax more, as she even reclines a little in the seat, careful to not disturb any others in the back of her.

\- M & L -

The taxi dropped them off at their new home, which was a nice beach house off of the water. The neighborhood was quiet, and it was only down the road from Addison, which was a quick walk down the beach. Mark was mostly excited about the beach, so he could move his morning runs from the cold pavement of Seattle to the soft sandy beaches of Los Angeles. He was looking forward to it more than anything, and to spend it with Lexie, it's an even better opportunity.

As he opens the door, he finds there's a light on inside already. Maybe a realtor or mover had left it on? Looking to Lexie, he gives her a sign to be quiet, and she nods, standing by the door as he slowly unlocks the door and makes his way inside. He then hears the small chatter, and heels on the floor. _Heels_. Right away, he knew. Addison.

He smiles, and signals Lexie to come in. As they walk into their new home, it's got a fresh-paint smell to it. The smell of invitation and new stories to cover canvases. Lexie smiles, looking at Mark as he goes first _just_ to make sure it's safe, before finding Addison, Sam, Naomi, and Jake all at their bar. A few bottles of drinks were scattered, and crackers and cheese.

"Our new guests!" Addison cheered with a welcome, glad that they had made it through the flight okay. "It's so good to see both of you." She says, as she instantly hugs Mark, glad to see him.

Lexie stands with a smile, holding her purse, _trying_ not to be awkward. Or, well, anymore awkward.

Naomi stands up, and so does Sam with smiles. Jake stands up, eager to meet Mark.

"It's good to see you, man," Sam says, as he slaps his hand into Mark's, and Naomi gives him a big hug, glad to see him again.

Jake grins, shaking Mark's hand. "It's good to meet you!"

Mark nods, smiling back. "Likewise, my friend."

All five turn to Lexie, and she can't help but blush, before Addison pulls her into a hug, welcoming her.

"You too, Little Grey," she says, as she has to lean down a little to hug her.

Naomi holds out her hand, smiling. "I'm Naomi. It's good to meet you."

Lexie smiles, nodding as she holds onto Addison. "It's uh, good to meet you,"

Sam holds his hand out as well, doing the same. Jake gives her a nod.

Mark's already gone to the counter, scoping out what they have for beers. Lexie looks at Addison with a smile, before Addison breaks the silence with a question.

"So, uh," she clears her throat. "How was the flight?"

Lexie smiles a bit, nodding. "It was good. We watched a movie and before we knew it... we were at LAX."

Addison nods with a relieved look. "That's good, that's good. And your stuff is on its way?"

Lexie nods once more. Jake perks up a bit, looking at the two.

"You're absolutely more than welcome to use anything at our house. Just as long as you don't mind the baby mess." He laughs, as Lexie smiles, before thanking him generously. It was an incredible offer, and Lexie can't help but be so thankful. These people had just met her, and they were already so kind.

Lexie looks over to see Sam and Mark fixing themselves a drink.

"Drink up my man," Sam says with a smile, grabbing a glass for himself. "Got plenty of it."

Lexie looks at the two ladies with a smile. "Want me to mix you a drink? Complementary of the new house owners." She laughs a little, as Addison nods.

"I'd love one, but Naomi on the other hand..." Addison moved her hand to Naomi's stomach, pressing down on her dress more to show the bump.

Lexie's eyes widened, before smiling widely. "Oh! I didn't know, ha! Sorry." She says before Naomi shrugs it off.

"Please, that's a compliment. I forgot what it felt like to be this big again." She snorts a little, and Lexie can't help but laugh.

Addison glances around, before looking at Lexie. "I'll take a glass of red, if you don't mind."

Lexie nods. "Alright, coming right up. Jake, you?"

Jake shakes his head, before tipping his head to the beer on the counter. Lexie gives a nod, before Mark swoops in with a glass of red wine in his hand, his own beer in the other.

Addison gasps, before smiling and accepting the unexpected surprise. "Thank you!"

Lexie's smiling, and Addison jumps up a little.

"Mark, I know you've two met, but this is Jake." She says with a smile.

Mark can tell just how much Addison loves him, just by looking at that smile. Due to the timing, Mark was unable to go to Addison's wedding due to the plane crash. He had been in a coma, unable to even be awake for the moment that she walked down the aisle. Lexie was barely responsive with how many drugs she was on, and her legs were crushed beyond recognition. Luckily, Torres was able to construct bone and repair her legs to a state they were before. Now, after so many surgeries, she just had deepened scars onto her legs.

He'd spend hours after she started walking on her own again, massaging her legs so they felt better. Tracing the scars on her legs, she'd beg for him to stop, only for him to ask why. She'd be quiet for a few seconds, before telling him that she was _embarrassed_ to have her legs like that. The scars, and the wounds were ugly to her. But for Mark, they showed their fight. It seems like everyone at Seattle Grace - Mercy West had scars. Did everyone at Seaside Wellness also have scars? He wondered for a brief second, before shaking it off.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make your wedding. I'm sure it was great." Mark says, frowning a bit. He's happy for Addison, and ready to get to know Jake once and for all. This was Addison's _husband_.

He shakes his head, as Addison follows suit. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't help it," he says, as Addison nods in agreement.

Mark shrugs. "I would've if I could've. Red, here, is one of my best friends. Did she mention me at all?"

Jake lets out a small laugh, nodding, as Addison gives him a slight nudge. "Talk about something other than your ego." She says, as Jake can't help but laugh again. He likes the friendship between Mark and Addison; it runs deeper than anything, he thinks.

"I'm a plastic surgeon. And you're an infertility specialist?" Mark asks, before taking a sip of the beer.

Mark glanced around beforehand before seeing Lexie talking to Sam and Naomi.

"You'll love Violet and Cooper, and Charlotte." Sam nods, as Lexie sips her drink that she'd made for herself. Naomi nods in agreement.

"They're all wonderful people and you'll all get along fast. Amelia you already know," she says, thinking over all the people. "Which, where is that girl? I thought she'd say she'd stop by?"

"Amelia? Oh, yeah," Lexie said, pulling out her cell phone. "I texted her when we got off the plane and she said she'd be here by..."

Everyone's heads turned as they heard the door down the hall open and slam shut, followed by footsteps. Amelia walked into the room, stressed look on her face as she sat down a plastic bag onto the counter.

"You will not believe the traffic-" she pauses, eyes opening as Lexie and Amelia quickly hug each other tightly. "Oh my god, _Lexie_!"

"I told you that you'd be late!" Lexie said in a cheerful tone. "It's great to see your face not on a skype camera."

Amelia laughed a bit, as she can't help but recall the numerous skype calls that she's had with her step-sister. "I don't take offense to that," she says, quickly unraveling the bag to show a bottle of ginger ale. "For me, since I knew everyone would be having the devil's drink. And," she pauses, looking around. "Where's Mark?"

Mark steps out from behind Jake and Addison, before Amelia runs to him, hugging him so tight that the clash had almost caused him to spill his beer. Addison's glad that Amelia had arrived, as the two men were now talking about their interest in football instead of surgeries.

"Mark!" Amelia exclaims, as she holds him close.

Mark grins, passing his beer to Addison. "Hi Amy," he says as he wraps his arms around her.

By the near end of the night, everyone's split up into their own little groups, talking. Mark, Sam, and Jake all are on the back patio talking about the NFL teams. Addison and Naomi are both drinking wine and talking as they sit on the patio furniture, and Amelia and Lexie are inside on the floor drinking ginger ale and to spice it up, Lexie's added a small bit to her drink.

"So..." Amelia says, looking at Lexie. "I never know when to ask the dirty secret stuff when I'm on skype. I've tried not to since I know that Mark could be right behind you without me even knowing."

Lexie raises an eyebrow. "Fire away."

"Alright," Amelia says, before taking a swig of the ginger ale. "Tell me: is there any other reason you moved down here?"

"I told you, we wanted to-"

"Truth only." Amelia adds quickly, cutting Lexie off.

Lexie pauses, sighing, before she shrugs. "I... we moved down here because... we wanted a change of pace. A new surrounding."

Amelia sips her drink in silence, ready for more.

"It's like that town is cursed, Amelia. And he's been wanting to move down here since the last time he came down," she stirs her drink a bit. "And I'm coming along for the ride. Plus, working with you is always a plus." Lexie grins.

Amelia grins back, nodding. "Right, right. My brother is the one with all the skills. And the hair." She says, playing with her lip for a second before shaking her head. "No, just the hair, actually."

Lexie laughs, shaking her head. It's quiet for a second, before Amelia breaks the silence.

"So, has he said anything about kids?" She asks, looking up from her drink to Lexie.

Lexie pauses, before shrugging. "That's not his fault. I said that we should wait a little while longer, just until we're settled in here and you know... heal."

Amelia nods. "And you're sure," she says, before raising a brow. "About wanting kids."

Lexie nods quickly. "I want kids, I do," she says, smiling. "We discussed a few names. Tossed some ideas around and I don't know when the time's right."

"Is there even a right time?" She asks, before Lexie shrugs, taking a sip of her drink.

Lexie wants to ask Amelia about having a child, but she doesn't dare to. Not after what happened. So she just shrugs it off, sipping her own drink quietly.

Addison's out on the patio, and she's getting having her second glass of wine. Feeling her phone vibrate, and the ringer go off, she opens it to a call. She puts her head to the phone, before nodding.

"Yeah... did you do- ... okay ... We'll be right there." She says, before hanging up. She looks at Jake, before sighing. "We've gotta get to the hospital. Jane's feeling more and more swelling."

Jake sighed, before setting his beer onto the railing. "I was afraid of that." He said, shaking his head. "I hate to cut our invitation short, but..."

"No, don't worry. We'll see you at the practice tomorrow. Bright and... well, relatively early." Mark says with a grin, shaking Jake's hand once more before Addison gives a peck onto Mark's cheek with her lips before saying her goodbyes to everyone. They quickly file out to the front door, to get to their and Sam look at each other quickly, before Sam looks at his watch. "We're gonna head back too." She says, tugging at his hand.

Mark nods, before looking down the coastline. "So... your house is still right next to Red's?"

Sam nods. "Yes sir. If you need anything, just stop down."

Mark nods, before shaking Sam's hand and giving Naomi a quick hug before seeing them off. Their silhouettes slowly descent into the night. He sighs to himself, as he walks into the house before being greeted by Amelia's hug.

"Bye Mark. See you tomorrow. Bright and early." She says, before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He raises an eyebrow. "Oh," he says, surprised. "goodnight."

Amelia slings her purse over her shoulder before walking out. Lexie comes to his side, putting her hands on the side of her hips, looking up at him with a smirk. He looks down, as the house is empty. Just them, and the crashing waves in the background. Their hues connect as they realize they're alone. Just them. Mark's lips make a sluggish attempt at kissing her, leaning down to her level. He's buzzed; no doubt about that. And she is too. They're both buzzed, and now, after the day they've had, it was time for their time.

"Let's christen the new house," Mark whispers into her ear, as she can't help but let out a moan.

He leads her back into the house, before closing the patio door and quickly getting out the sleeping bags so they could make their makeshift bed for the one night. This was a fresh start, he thought to himself. And what a great start it was.


	2. Chapter 2

_MakorraLove97:_ _That was really, really good. I... I don't even have the slightest idea of how to begin telling you how good this was. You wrote the characters perfectly; their personalities are right on the spot and it's such a bliss to read! You especially have such a way with phrasing certain words and piecing sentences together and it's just so incredible! You have a very interesting idea going on here and I agree with Lexie... I love Seattle Grace, but that town is most certainly haunted. I'm curious to see where you go with this and I'm beyond eager to read your next chapter once you post it! Hopefully soon? :)_

 **Thank you so much! I agree - definitely haunted. Thank you for the review!**

 _mandyg67_ _: Great idea for a story. Glad they both survived although it's sad that Lexie has some permanent disability.  
_

 **I know Lexie would have some sort of PTSD from the crash. I just hope it was realistic to make her legs be almost back to normal, you know?**

 _StreakyStarr_ _: I like this! Mark and Lexie were my favorite characters and their deaths still make me cry every time I watch them again. I really like stories that have them survive the crash, and I like the twist on this one._

 **Thank you! And yes - their deaths were by far the most sad. Shonda really screwed up by killing them off...**

A/N: Thank you to those who left reviews on this. I'm enjoying writing this, and love the feedback. It's greatly appreciated!

* * *

The morning sunshine had shone through the windows, as his body curled up close to hers under the blankets had been sore. Somewhat hungover, for sure. He could feel her stir, before she shot up, racing to get to her suitcase. Mark let out a groan, putting the pillow over his head as he wasn't nearly ready to get up and start his first day at a new job. The sun shining in this early in the morning was something new, as well. He was used to the overcast feeling; the damp, rainy atmosphere. But now? Sunshine, and heavenly weather. He moved the pillow off, before his face was hit with a shirt and pants thrown from across the room. He let out yet another groan, before looking up.

Lexie's arms flailed through her suitcase as she tried to find their toiletries and clothes for the day. She quickly got up, rushing to the bathroom before he could hear their shower start up. He slowly got up, rubbing his eyes as he grabbed his clothes before following her into the steam-filled room that had been filled with her worried energy. _She's worried about being late,_ he thought to himself. _That's cute_.

Elevator doors open on the fifth floor, as Lexie's heels made their way to the reception desk. Mark followed, as Lexie dug around in her purse for her ID. She laughs to herself as she can't find it, as she's starting to stress out.

"It's here somewhere," she tells herself as she reaches the bottom of her purse before Mark's arm extends past her shoulder with his ID in his hand.

The receptionist took it with a smile, before viewing another paper.

"She's Lexie Grey. Alexandra Grey." He says, as she nods, handing the ID back to Mark.

"Your offices are down the hall." She says, as Mark takes the ID and puts it back into his wallet.

As Lexie's heels clicked down the hall, with Mark following, he heard Addison's sharp click of the heels come closer. Addison flashed a smile, before shifting files so they were more organized in her hand.

"Lexie! Mark," she said as she halted. "We're having a meeting at 9 so everyone can meet you."

Lexie looked at Addison with a questionable face. "There's more?"

Addison nods slowly. "Violet, Cooper, Charlotte," she lists. "You'll love them. I'd love to chat but I've got a patient in an exam room waiting for me." She says, before quickly rushing by.

Lexie stares as she passes, before looking at Mark. Mark's got a small smile on his face, before slipping his hand into hers.

"Ready to see your office?" Mark asked, as Lexie gave a small hint of a smile with a nod.

As the two walk down the hall, Lexie looks into the pane of the window, seeing Amelia tidying things up. She can't help but raise an eyebrow, before her hand reaches for the doorknob. As Lexie opens the door, Amelia turns around immediately. The office is clean; and set up. Desk, bookshelf, plants, fish tank; the whole nine yards. Amelia's got a smile, before she waves her arm around the room as if to present it.

"Ta-da!" She says in excitement, as Lexie can't help but grin. "Your new office, Doctor Grey!"

"And what about Dr. Sloan?" Mark asks, picking up a dead leaf from the plant's pot.

Amelia grabbed her water bottle, before rolling her eyes. "Oh don't worry, your office is ready too. Oh, and Lexie," Amelia says, before taking a sip of water. "We've got a patient coming in after the meeting. Which is about to start."

Mark turns around, heading to his office to check it out. The office space is very modern; spacious is a word that fits well. It's by the ocean, and Mark can see the beach from his office. Books of plastics had lined his shelves, along with a few plants. He smiles, before hearing heels stop at his door. He turns around, thinking it'd be Addison before seeing a blonde. He's seen her before; at St. Ambrose, perhaps?

"Doctor Sloan," she smiles, walking in.

Mark smiles back, before raising an eyebrow. "Doctor...?" He pauses. "Queen."

"Close enough. King." Her southern accent is still as strong as ever. It's a deep one, and he remembers it better than her name. Charlotte.

" _King,_ " he repeats, before Lexie walks into his office, seeing the blonde. "Sexology." He spat out, as he grins.

"Oh," she says with a smile. "Hi. I'm Lexie. Lexie Grey. We uh, met before right? In Seattle?"

Charlotte smiles at the brunette, before holding out her hand to shake. "Charlotte King. And yes, as a matter of fact we did. You're the new neuro girl?"

Lexie nods. "I am."

Charlotte grins, before nodding. "Welcome aboard. Sorry I couldn't come to your little get together last night," she apologizes. "I have three little rascals at home. They need their mama."

Lexie can't help but smile at the kindness of this woman, though she still feels intimidated. "Don't worry. We didn't even know it was happening until we got there."

"Well, how's that?" She says, looking at Mark with a smile before finding him behind his desk.

Mark sits in his chair, testing out with a grin. "Nothing like having a chair in an office."

Lexie grins, shaking her head before Naomi peeked her head into the office.

"Charlotte, I wanted to talk to you about my patient. After the meeting maybe?" She asks, before Charlotte nods immediately. Naomi smiles at the two, before leaving. Charlotte turns back around, grinning at Lexie.

"You got any kids? I know Doctor Sloan had one a couple years back, but I don't think you're old enough to be her mother."

Lexie's eyes widened before laughing a little, shaking her head. She's still at discontent with Sloane, as she had tore apart Mark and herself. "We don't and uh... she's not mine." She says, nodding at the end.

Charlotte raises a brow, nodding along. "Ah, I see." She turns to Mark, brow still raised. "How is she liking the parenting life?"

"I wouldn't know. Haven't talked to her since, and she gave up the kid." Mark said, before standing up.

Charlotte was silent for a second, before nodding once more. "Between you and me, she didn't look like she was the motherly type. Hell, I wasn't the motherly type. Or so I thought." She laughed finally, before Addison knocked on the door. All three turned.

"I'm gonna grab a glass of juice and then we can start?" She asks, nodding, before walking off to the kitchen.

Charlotte turns to the door, before walking. "I have to make a call but I'll be in there in a second. Door's right down the left. Center office." She said, before her heels began to make their descent down the hall.

Mark and Lexie are left to smile at each other, eager to meet new people. That's what this was all about; starting over. Moving their careers to a new place; somewhere the complete opposite of Seattle. And though Lexie did have her qualms, as did Mark, but she was pushing those aside. She was confident in their move, and starting over. Starting her career for real, this time. She was working with one of the best neurosurgeons in the country, and around more great surgeons. Mark was excited, especially, as having his own practice had meant more patients and a relaxed schedule. It was just... _better_.

He turns to Lexie, before pulling her into a kiss. God, she loved it when he did that. She'd turn around only to meet his lips, and be pulled into a whole new dimension that had sent all of her senses flying. And he'd loved to do it to her; anything to please her and drive her wild. He had a knack for it. As his kiss settled, he pressed his forehead against hers, before his hand slipped down to meet hers, holding it tight. She kissed him, missing his lips and landing on his cheek, before whispering up to his ear something small, only for him to grin, and move his free hand to her ass, gripping it. She nudged him a little, before dragging him out of the office before they had to christen the office as well.

M & L

The central office is stocked with pastries and breakfast items, along with coffee and such. Lexie walks in first, seeing a few unfamiliar faces before standing next to Mark who was already digging into the food, getting a danish for himself. However, not before offering it to Lexie, knowing that they rushed to get here earlier. She shakes her head, before he shrugs and takes a bite of it. Addison walks in with her glass of green juice that had looked _disgusting_ to Mark, but knew that it was healthier than the danish his teeth had found a liking to.

"Alright, let's start," Addison says, gathering some files as she sets them on the table in front of her before sitting.

Lexie and Mark sit beside each other, further away from everyone before Addison gestures toward them.

"These are two great friends of mine, Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey, whom I was talking about earlier last week." Addison says before a brunette woman with a medium-length hair had extended her arm to Lexie.

"Violet Turner." She says with a smile, as Lexie reaches over and shakes her hand firmly.

"Lexie Grey!" She says with a bit of a perk, smiling before reaching over to the man that Mark had shook hands with.

He's taller than Mark, she can tell. But not by much. "Cooper Freedman." He says before she greets herself back, before falling backward into her chair to rest.

Jake enters the room, holding a file in his hand before greeting everyone, looking at Mark and Lexie briefly before looking back to Addison, and kneeling down to her ear and whispering something. Addison has a face of disappointment, before shaking it off.

"What's up?" Mark asks, looking at Addison.

Addison sighs, sipping her juice. "I've got a baby who I missed delivering this morning, and he has a cleft pallet that's infected. Parents don't want to operate, and I've tried to convince them but it's no use."

Mark shifts in his chair, before looking at Addison with a smile. "Say no more. How long until I can convince these parents to operate?"

"Mark, I've tried for _months_. There's no use." She says, looking at him with a dead-serious look.

Mark nods, before taking a bite of his danish. "It's a cleft pallet. With my reputation, they'll be begging me to do the surgery. Set them up to meet with me."

Jake looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Rather bold, don't you think?"

Mark shakes his head as he finishes off the danish, grabbing a napkin. "Needs a bold approach."

Jake shrugs, not sure whether to agree or disagree. Amelia steps forward, grabbing an orange.

"I'll introduce Lexie to the case while you shrink up our patient, Violet," she says, fingernail digging at the skin. "Do your magic and convince her that surgery is the only option."

Violet sighs, before sipping on her coffee shake. "I don't know where I'm getting with her. She's still in a very bruised and fragile state, and I feel like the treatment I'm giving her isn't enough to get through. If Sheldon were here," she starts, but drags on.

Mark looks at the woman. "...Sheldon?"

Violet sits back, before Cooper chimes in with the story.

"He was our other therapist. He met a woman with cancer and quit to spend her last days with her." Cooper says with a sigh. "It's been a few months since we've seen or heard from him."

Lexie shakes her head, disappointed. She knew what it was like to lose someone close; to want to spend every last minute with them. It was terrible.

"Alright, so I'll set up a meeting with Mark and my patient, and Amelia can take Lexie to St. Ambrose and show her around." Addison says, writing down on her file before signaling for Mark to get up, before he does so following Addison out.

(M&L)

In Addison's office, Mark closes the door to the office before Addison goes back to her desk, digging around for a paper.

"I thought there was a receptionist that worked here? Blonde guy?" He asks, as he looks at her awards hung up on her wall.

Addison looks up, silent for a second, before clearing her throat. "He died."

Mark's eyes are frozen as he nods. "That's uh... too bad." He says as he's unsure on how to respond.

"His daughter got tossed around in foster care before Nay adopted her." She explains, as Mark looks over.

"Wait, so she has a new granddaughter and a child? She's all about the kids now, huh?" Mark asks, as Addison looks up.

She fixes her posture a little, sitting up before glancing down. "Henry is all I have. And Jake, of course," Addison clarifies quickly. "I've tried so long and Nay knows that. She loves kids. I understand it." Addison pauses for a second. "Have you and Lexie...?"

"No," Mark says, shaking his head before taking a seat on her couch. "We haven't really discussed it. Sofia's still in Seattle, and Lexie's really good with her, but..."

"The time's just not right." Addison filled in the blank for him. Mark can't help but nod in affirmation.

The room is quiet, until Addison pulls out a slip of paper and begins to dial the phone to schedule a meeting with the mother.

(M&L)

"Amanda Rollington, 20 year old female with a Glioblastoma." Amelia announced, as Lexie reached forward to shake the patient's hand.

Amelia flipped through the file, before setting it down and looking at the woman. "Amanda, we talked on the phone. I'm Amelia." She said as she extended her hand out, and she shook it weakly. Amanda had a weak smile on her face, looking ill as she looked at the two doctors.

"It's great to finally meet you." Amanda said as she sat up a little in the bed. Her head was covered by a bandana to cover the radiation effects. Her speech was slurred somewhat, and she had looked weaker as she talked, but Amelia was determined to help her.

"Are you taking any medicine?" Amelia asked, before answering her own question as she looked at the section in her paperwork. "Temozolomide."

Amanda nodded as she began to open her mouth. "Doctor Shepherd, I'm here so I can figure out if there's a way to avoid surgery. I found out that I'm pregnant recently, and..."

"...You don't want to risk losing the baby." Lexie finished, as Amanda could only breathe in and nod.

Amelia pursed her lips before Lexie took the spotlight.

"Surgery doesn't mean you'll lose the baby. It can help cure you and well, make delivery a lot easier for you. Where is your, uh,"

"Husband? Boyfriend? Doctor Grey, I'm in college. I don't want to come off the wrong way but," Amanda sighed, shaking her head. "College is fun. I don't exactly keep track of who I sleep with when I'm drinking." There was a pause, before Lexie nodded. Amanda licked her lips, as they were chapped, before looking back to Amelia. "Doctor Shepherd, is there anything? Treatments or remedies?"

"None that I know of. The best solution is surgery, but even as Doctor Grey said, you have a low chance of losing the baby. And there's always a chance to have another one if you're interested down the road." Amelia said, eyes locked onto the college student.

"I'm an undergrad, you guys. I'm going for law. I don't want to wait too long before it's just... not right." Amanda said quickly before Lexie nodded slowly. "And I've always wanted a baby. So... why not now?"

"Alright, Amanda. We'll look into other options but I can't guarantee anything." Amelia said, before nodding at Amanda and guiding Lexie out of the room.

Amelia shakes her head at Lexie.

"There's no other way to treat this that I know. Surgery is... a definite. And if she loses the baby..." Amelia trails off, before Lexie sighs.

"Addison can help, can't she? Protect the baby?" Lexie's voice is worried, before Amelia shakes her head.

"And do what? Threaten the tumor to keep it alive?" Amelia asks with an attitude, where Lexie just shakes her head, trying to think. Trying to think like Derek.

"We have to convince her to do surgery." Lexie says as she points to the room. "Or she is going to die sooner or later. Chemo has maxed out her time, and that time is almost up, Amelia."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Lexie, I think she should do it too." Amelia clarified quickly as Lexie shakes her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll get Violet to come in and talk to her. That way she can have some talk put into her and hopefully she'll make the right decision."

Lexie can only nod, pinching her scrubs as she looks at the doorframe to the room, frowning. Tumors were the worst.

( M & L )

The day dragged on slowly, but it was successful. For the most part, anyhow. The practice had ran smoothly as Addison had set up a meeting with the newborn's mother and Mark to meet so he could do a surgery, and she had been reluctant to have her new child operated on, but given Mark's reputation even down in Los Angeles, the mother had let him do the surgery and he removed a great portion of the cleft pallet without having much scarring leftover. It was a successful surgery to say the least, and he was more than excited to scrub out and finish. Checking up on the mother was a must for him, though.

Lexie and Amelia had gotten Violet to agree to talk to their patient, and would do so the next day. Violet was confident she could get through to the mother to be, and get the right kind of help that she needed. Lexie was confident that she would, and had left the hospital with a eased mind. But not before returning back to the practice with a text from Mark:

 _Hey, just scrubbed out. Where are you?_

She smiled as she rode the elevator up, texting him back, _Just finishing up paperwork. I don't have any interns to do it all for me. See you at home._ She slid her phone back into her pocket, before walking out of the elevator and directly to Addison's office. Addison was filling out forms and working her pen from left to right like crazy. Lexie's knuckle clashed against the door, knocking as Addison perked her head up.

"Lexie!" Addison said, looking at the girl with a smile. "Is there uh, anything I can do for you?"

Lexie nodded, walking in, and seating herself in front of her desk in a black chair. "I wanted to ask you a favor. Um, since I'm not exactly an expert in this region of medicine."

"Amanda. Is that what you're gonna ask me about? Amelia already-"

Lexie shakes her head. "No, no," she looks down, before looking back up to Addison's emerald hued eyes. "I need you to um... give me an exam?"

"Are you..." Addison wonders about a baby, knowing that Mark had wanted one, but if she was keeping a secret; a thousand thoughts flew through her mind, but she shook them out. "Pregnant?"

"No." Lexie said quickly. "I just wanted to see how things were. Um, if that was... okay. I know you're the best, and I wanted to be sure."

Addison nods quickly, standing up. "Of course, of course. Follow me to exam room 1." She says, digging out Lexie's file that she had not yet placed under the practice's employees yet.

Lexie is on the cool, textured chair as she has her legs spread wide with a hospital gown to cover anything. Addison washes her hands, scrubbing with hand sanitizer after to assure Lexie that she was clean. Addison takes her essential supplies needed, and begins the process. Breathing in, Lexie closes her eyes. She prayed that everything would be okay.

She was worried about her uterus and everything under the hood since the crash. Mark had promised her kids, and that they'd have a family, but the plane was crushing her pelvis as she heard every word from him, and it only made her panic more. What if she hadn't been able to have kids? What then? Adoption? She wanted to have her own kids with Mark; not a child that they had picked from the bunch. She wanted to go through the whole process; more than once. Having kids was something that she wanted to wait on, but after seeing Amanda's predicament, Lexie knows that time is certainly ticking as she enters her 30s without children, and with Mark getting older, she knows it's not time to daddle.

Addison puts all of the test tubes together, before taking off her gloves. "I'll run these overnight, and let you know tomorrow, Lexie."

Lexie closes her legs, before sitting up, more so. "Thank you so much, Addison. Really."

"Mark;" she starts, looking at Lexie. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Not until I'm sure. I don't want to get his hopes up." Lexie says, standing up before Addison sighs, looking at the woman.

"Alright." She says, standing up and grabbing her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And if you could keep this between us," Lexie says, as Addison nods in affirmation. "Thanks."

Addison's heels direct her out of the room, bag in hand as she makes her way to the elevator.

( M & L )

The door slams, and Mark perks his head up from the couch. Boxes surround him, as the movers had really just set everything down. He's watching an old movie on their DVD player, since the TV company had yet to set everything up. So watching an old horror movie that he'd bought in med school was all that was available at the moment until Lexie got home. He sits up, watching her walk into the room and take off her coat.

"Hey." He says, as she shoots him a smile, before taking off her shoes and walking to the couch and cuddling up to his side.

She's silent, and he wraps an arm around her. "Congrats on your surgery." She says after a few seconds of silent.

He smiles, before kissing the top of her head. "Thank you. And your patient?"

"Still in the works... but..." Lexie sighs. "Violet is gonna talk to her tomorrow and we should know more."

Mark nods, before his hands move to her legs. He now knows why she didn't spend another minute on her feet.

"Do your legs hurt?" He asks in a silent tone, before Lexie shakes her head.

She's silent, because she hates to make a big deal of it. She wants it to be gone, but it just never seems to leave. "No."

Mark begins to rub into her leg, and she can't help but moan in pain. It's sore as hell. "I'm gonna carry you upstairs now, and get the lotion and we're going to have a comfortable night on our bed and sleep like kings and queens." He says in her ear, soft tone and all, before lifting her up and carrying her up the stairs.

She can't help but smile, but it's faded. She's worried as hell about the tests. But that's for another time to worry, she thinks to herself. It was _their_ time now.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'd like to thank everyone for such kind reviews. It really means so much to have people enjoy my writing; I'm not used to writing fanfiction, and have to apologize for my slow updating. I've got a full schedule and sitting down to write isn't always appealing to me. But these kind reviews surely motivate me - so thank you for that. I don't have any medical experience; I'm still in high school. I just googled up terms and symptoms to follow! And I'll be sure to add patients into this as well. Again, thank you to everyone who left kind reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Turning the doorknob, Violet slowly entered the room with her files in hand and paper and pen to take notes. Amanda had woken up not too long ago, and Violet wanted to make sure that she had gotten a meal in and everything to wake her up and give the best results. Violet offers a smile, brushing her brunette hair back before reaching out a hand to the woman.

"I'm Violet Turner. It's good to meet you." Violet says, as Amanda weakly shakes her hand.

Amanda sits up slightly, offering a smile back to Violet before coughing. "Good morning Doctor Turner." She managed to get out after a small coughing attack.

Violet sits in a chair, pulling it up to her bedside. "I wanted to talk to you about your decision not to have surgery."

Amanda laid her head back, almost rolling her eyes before looking back to Violet. What was it going to take to get through to these doctors? She had wanted to wait until the child was delivered to have the surgery; nothing more. She could hold off for another 12 weeks. She was about 28 weeks along; her stomach was prevalent, and she had most certainly been experiencing the symptoms of pregnancy. It wasn't just the tumor. But she was determined to give birth.

"Doctor Shepherd and Doctor Grey are concerned with your decision. They want you to get better, and the surgery doesn't have a high risk to your baby." Violet says, as she begins to look through Amanda's file. "Glioblastoma. That's your tumor? Amanda, you're young. Your baby is still developing, and it poses little to no risk. What's causing you to not want this surgery?"

Amanda takes a breath, feeling somewhat lightheaded, before brushing it off as just digestion from her breakfast. "My baby is all I have. My parents are too concerned with their own lives to care. I got the free ride to college, and here I am."

"Do they know you're here?" Violet asked, as she looked at the woman.

Amanda shook her head. "And I don't want them to know. I don't need them."

Violet nods slowly. "Alright." She extends her hand to Amanda's hand. "Before you started college, were your parents there for you?"

Amanda looks up at the ceiling, like she's trying not to cry, before shaking her head. "Doctor Turner, this is a waste of my time. You and I both know that digging into my childhood isn't going to solve anything. It's not going to make me have this surgery, or make sure I'm not going to have this surgery." Amanda says, looking over to her. "I'm going to travel to Switzerland after this. There's a woman who does healings for tumors there and I'm going to see her."

"Eastern remedies don't always have a successful time in healing. This surgery is safe and like I said before, won't harm your baby, Amanda."

Amanda shakes her head. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not having this surgery. I'm not going to have this surgery! What's it going to take to get through to you people-"

Violet's eyes widen as her voice stops, with the machines beginning to blare alarms. She had began to have a seizure. Violet quickly turned her to her side, making sure to help before looking toward the door.

"I need some help in here!"

( M & L )

 _Earlier..._

Mark's in his office, laptop open as Lexie walks in with her heels clicking. One day around Addison, and Lexie is already taking after her, Mark thinks. She's wearing a skin-tight dress, necklace and earrings. It's different seeing her in something else rather than scrubs all of the time; he'd seen the majority of her in light blue scrubs. But he'd yet to see her in navy blue scrubs. That was to come, he thought. Her hair bounced as she walked into his office, door closing as she reached his desk, hands pressing against his desk as she has a wild grin on her face.

"I think I know how to get my patient to agree to surgery." Lexie says, looking into Mark's ice blue eyes. "Easy as cake."

"How so?" Mark asks, leaning back in his chair before Lexie stands upright. "By the way you made it sound, she sounded pretty adamant about not having it."

Lexie nodded. "She was. But if I have her stay awake during the surgery, she should be fine. She'll know her baby is okay, and she'll know that she's okay if she can be awake."

Mark rose an eyebrow, before nodding slowly. "I wouldn't have brain surgery awake... but whatever someone else's cup of tea is, I suppose."

Lexie and Mark both turn to the door as Amelia slams it open, dashing inside with a panicked look on her face.

"Amanda is seizing. We need to get down there right now." Amelia says, dashing out, before Lexie follows as fast as she can, right out the door, leaving Mark with his jaw open, before sighing and sipping his coffee.

( M & L )

Addison's fingers patter across her desk, fingers colliding with it one after another, in repetition. She's stressed. Her coffee is going cold, and she's out of it, before she hears a knock on the door. She looks up, seeing Jake entering her office.

"Hey," She says, waking up her computer to make it look like she hasn't been just staring off into space.

He comes in, coffee in hand, before sitting in the chair in front of her. "Slow day?" He asks, coffee meeting his lips.

She answers with a sigh, nodding. "Uh—yeah," She says, sweeping up a stack of papers on her desk. "Too long." She looks at the clock, as it almost reads noon.

Jake nods. "Henry would not want to say goodbye this morning. Seemed like every time I would step out the door, the nanny would just start having to get him to calm down." He shakes his head.

Addison nods, seeming out of it. "I was going to start bringing him in here so he could be with us all day, but... I don't know, now." She says, looking off into space again. Jake raises an eyebrow, looking at her.

"Are you... okay?" He asks, looking into Addison's eyes as she turns to him. She snaps herself out of it, before nodding quickly.

"Oh—yes," She says brushing strands of red hair back. "I'm fine. I've just got a patient, and she's got a lot going on, is all." Addison looks down. "I feel really bad about her, you know? I mean, I wish I could help. I mean—I _can_ but it's just the matter of if she'll let me."

Jake nods at her. "I'm sure she'll cooperate. Hey, I'm gonna swing by the burrito stand down by the pier. You want anything?"

She hardly realizes it's almost noon, before realizing she's not even hungry. "Oh. No, thanks."

Jake nods. "Alright. Well, I'll see you this afternoon." He says, before exiting her office, passing Naomi as she strolls in, replacing Jake's spot.

She looks at Addison, immediately seeing that she has _the face_ that had concerned her more than anything. Naomi raises a brow, before sitting back in the chair, crossing her legs.

"I was gonna come in here to talk about my problem, but it looks like you need to talk." She says, grabbing the apple off of Addison's desk, before biting into it. "Spill it, girl."

Addison shakes her head. "It's nothing, really—"

Naomi leans her head, giving Addison her own look. "Addie—"

"—I'm fine, really. What's your problem that you wanted to talk about?" Addison asks, sitting back in her chair as she crosses her arms.

Naomi sighed. "Alright, alright." She finishes chewing. "Well, Maya just called me and her and Dink are getting a divorce."

"Oh my god, no?" Addison says, eyes falling to a sympathetic state. "Oh, she must be heartbroken."

"I guess he hasn't been home at all in the few weeks, and she found him with someone else." Naomi sighs to herself. "I haven't told Sam. I feel like I should, instead of Maya. Maybe I can stop him from kicking Dink's ass." Naomi snorts, before shaking her head. "You know, after all that... the wedding, the baby, Maya getting into Columbia... it's all taken by this." Naomi shakes her head once more. "Pathetic."

"They're still kids. I think we forget that sometimes." Addison says, sighing. "Maya matured so quickly, and now she's created this facade of a woman like us. But she's still so young."

"I know, I know. So I'm driving to her house after work and bringing Rocky Road ice cream and a few horror movies. I already told Sam that he needs to watch Olivia for the night. God knows Dink won't."

Addison smiles at Naomi, before sipping her coffee. "Mind if I join? I think I'm gonna need it, tonight." She says, before licking her teeth. "Jake can watch Henry for one night. It'll only be a few hours."

"What about Lexie?" Naomi asked, and Addison tensed up.

"Oh... I think she said that she was doing something with Mark tonight." Addison says, shaking her head.

"That's gotta be somewhat awkward. You and her." Naomi says, looking at Addison with eyes that slew a look of all-knowing.

Addison shakes her head once more. "You know, it isn't. Mark and I have been separated for what, eight years now? It's the past. I'm with Jake, and I've got Henry, and Mark has... his child—" Addison snorts, as Naomi joins in on the laughter.

"But they're happy." Naomi nods, as Addison agrees. "I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. Or mature, for that matter."

"I have to agree with you." Addison says, before standing up. "You know, I'm up for a coffee. You wanna?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Naomi says, standing up. "I'll buy."

( M & L )

Mark enters Jake's office, knocking on the doorway. He has yet to get to know him. Addison's husband, of all people. Hell, Addison had made such an attempt to get to know Lexie, and this was the least he could do. And with the party a few nights before, Mark had seemed to like Jake. Addison had done well. Sam seemed happy, too. Just... not as.

"Hey, you up for lunch? I was gonna grab some with Lexie but she's still down at the hospital." Mark asks, walking in, adjusting his collar. He's not used to wearing a dress shirt and nice pants everyday; he'd began to miss the scrubs.

Jake nods, getting up from his desk. "Sure thing, I'll finish this after lunch. Is Sam coming?" Jake asks, glasses being taken off.

Mark shakes his head. "He's at the hospital too, I think. Naomi and Addison are down at the pier, and Lex and Amelia are at the hospital."

Jake has a small smile, before walking past Mark. They're about the same height, as Jake pats Mark's shoulder. "I'll buy."

(M & L)

Eyes opening, Amanda looks around the room. It's bright, and it hurts her eyes, but she's so confused that she can't exactly tell what had happened. The last thing she knew was a surge of pain, before she'd just blacked out. Eyes turn to her left, to see Lexie in her scrubs and cap as she fixes something to her side. Amanda begins to speak, but finds it difficult to do so. _What the hell happened?,_ she thought to herself.

"Oh, don't speak," Lexie says quickly. "You're fine. But somehow your vocal cords were damaged in the surgery. My husb— _our head of plastics_ , will be in later to check on them to make sure they will heal correctly." Lexie breathes in. "Amanda, you had a seizure. Doctor Turner did her best to help, and Doctor Shepherd did her absolute best to get the glioblastoma."

Amanda nods, hands moving to her stomach. "B—Ba—" She tries to speak, as Lexie shakes her head.

Amanda's eyes fall, tears welling up. The worst had come to be true. She lost her child.

"We did everything that we could. But the surgery, and the seizure," Lexie says, breaking into a sigh before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Amanda."

Amanda's tears fall down her cheek, as she shakes her head, hands motioning over her stomach. Amelia walks into the room, removing her scrub cap. Her breath is hitched, as she looks at the woman crying before her. This isn't the first person to breakdown in front of her in a hospital bed, and she's used to it, now. The hospital was full of misfortunes and miracles. There was no controlling them, either. It was like poker; you deal with the hand you're dealt. And Amelia knows the feeling of a bad hand dealt. Rest in peace, Unicorn Baby.

"We removed the tumor. You'll have to spend the next few days in the hospital," Amelia says quickly, eyes welling up with tears. "If there's any family to call, let Dr. Grey or I know and we will. If you'll excuse me," Amelia says, pushing her way out of the door and down the hall. Lexie apologizes quickly, before following Amelia.

( M & L )

Hands push the bathroom door open, as she immediately rushes to a sink. Water. _She needs water_ , she thinks to herself. Amelia breathes in, pushing back the flow of tears that threaten to explode any second, as Lexie rushes in.

"Amelia, you didn't have to—" Lexie begins, only for Amelia to turn around in a frenzy.

Amelia's eyes are weak. Wet. Emotional. "It is my job. I will not let my past throw me off like that again, Lexie. But seeing that woman, God have mercy," she says as she turns the knob for water. She splashes some onto her face. "I'm fine. You know, I've gone through a lot worse than this. I'm _fine_." She breathes.

Lexie knows she can't say anything about the baby tests to Amelia, especially now. But Lexie wants to so badly. Amelia is her best friend. She breathes in, before walking over and hugging Amelia, only for her to begin crying in her arms.

( M & L )

The pier is busy as usual, as Jake and Mark walk side by side down it. Mark's got a burrito in one hand, and his cellphone in the other, waiting for a text from Lexie. Jake has a burrito in his hand as well, with a drink in the other.

"So you and Addison—you go back?" Jake asks, before sipping his drink. It's got mostly ice in it, he realizes, before sipping once more.

Mark nods. "Med school." He says, before biting into the burrito. "She married my best friend and uh," he chews, realizing that it wasn't his place to tell, if he didn't know. "Got a divorce. But we were always close."

"I see." Jake says, looking out into the ocean, watching the waves. "And Lexie? How long have you known her?"

Mark chuckles. "Since she was an intern. I didn't know her then, really, until she started to get a crush on me." Mark says, staring ahead. "Derek told me to stay away from her, but I couldn't. She came to my hotel room and... story goes from there." Mark says, laughing.

Jake smiles, looking down as they walk. "She's a great person. Wonderful to be around already. And you are too."

"Thank you." Mark says, chewing his burrito once more. "All of you are great, too. I can tell Addison really loves you."

"I'd hope so. I love her more than anything." Jake says with a nod. "I wanted to give her a baby but... things just didn't work out."

"As a doctor or... as a husband?" Mark asks, looking over with a raised brow.

Jake laughs. "Doctor. Then boyfriend. Then husband." He says, before shaking his head. "You and Lexie ever think about having kids?"

Mark nods. "Sometimes. I've got a daughter back in Seattle. Her name's Sofia. Lexie loves her, and I know she wants kids... but I just don't know when, you know?"

Jake nods again. He feels his pager vibrate, before pulling it out, reading it. He curses, before looking at Mark. "I hate to cut lunch short, but I've gotta run. We'll catch up again sometime. Catch you later." He says, before throwing his food into the trash and making a jog down the pier.

( M & L )

Lexie's in her office, oscillating fan making a background noise as she signs off on some charts. She's got a consult later, and has to follow up on Amanda's surgery. She's already had such a stressful day, and she hasn't even began to worry about her test results yet. Where was Addison? Probably out with Naomi. It seemed like every day they went out for some type of lunch. Lexie looks at the time, figuring Mark might have joined them, or went for lunch himself. She sighs, brushing off her dress as she stands up walking over to her shelf of files, taking the paper and sliding it into one. She's so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn't even hear him come into the room, until she feels his hands smooth down her dress, to her stomach. She jumps a little, before smiling and leaning back into him. And she knows it's him; the cologne, and the height. It's Mark.

"Did you get me any lunch?" She asks, still looking for the file. "I'm starving."

He nods his head to the desk, where there's a bag. "Vegetable burrito on a spinach tortilla. Diet coke for a drink." He says as she can't help but grin, showing off her whites.

"You didn't have to—" She notes, before he interrupts her.

"—But I _wanted_ to," He stops her. Is that a new perfume he smells? Or body lotion. Must be that. It's different from the normal shea butter she uses after every shower she takes.

She smiles, before leaning up after turning around, kissing him on the lips briefly before walking over back to her desk. "Do you uh, know where Addison is?"

"No. Why, did you—" Mark starts, before Lexie cuts him off.

"—A patient. She's uh, lost her baby and I need to get her evaluation on her." Lexie says as she takes her diet coke out of the bag, along with the burrito.

Mark nods. "Oh. Okay."

He sits in the chair in front of her desk, looking into her eyes. "So I was thinking that maybe... since I can get off early now, and you can too, that we could go out to dinner tonight."

"Dinner... yes!" Lexie says, sipping on her coke. The ice is melted somewhat, but she doesn't care. "We've gotta find _our_ restaurant down here, you know."

"In time, in time," he says, as he looks around. "Where's Amelia, by the way?"

Lexie's chewing her burrito, before actually looking up as he hears her name. Lexie had no clue, really. Lexie offered to get lunch with her after her episode in the bathroom, but she declined and said she had another consult. So Lexie packed it up and went back to the practice, where they are now.

"Uh... she's at the hospital. She had a tough time today." Lexie says, swallowing her burrito. "My patient I told you about... she lost her baby. Which, actually, is why I need to see Addison. Uh," she starts, smiling. "How offended would you be if I stuffed this into the fridge and ate it later?"

Mark's eyes know how busy Lexie already is, before nodding. "Alright, alright. Go. Save lives." He says, as Lexie jumps, before giving him a kiss on the cheek and rushing out the door, as Addison is at the elevator signing in at the front desk with Naomi.

...

"I just really think they should get split custody. Dink's capable of taking care of her, and you know," Naomi says, sipping her coffee.

Addison nods, signing both of them in as Lexie jogs over to her, trying to deal with the heels that she's wearing. Addison looks up, smiling at Lexie before she realizes what entails when she sees her. Lexie has a smile on her face, greeting Naomi before looking at Addison.

"I need you to look at my patient. She lost her baby this morning after neurosurgery that we had to perform in an emergency," she says before realizing she'd not even said hello to Addison. "—And hi, by the way."

Naomi can't help but let out a little laugh, before looking at Lexie with a smile. "It's common down here, Lexie. I've got some paperwork to do, so if you'll excuse me." She says before patting Lexie on the shoulder and walking into the depths of the office.

Addison nods with a laugh. "I'd be happy to. And Lexie," Addison says, as Lexie's about to go get her purse and such.

"Hm?" Lexie asks, as she smiles a bit. That perky smile.

Addison pauses, before shaking her head. "I was gonna go over your test results, but if you'd rather wait until uh, after,"

Lexie looks around for Mark, before shaking her head. "No no, I've got time."

"To my office?" Addison asks, guiding the way.

...

Lexie sits in Addison's office, while she goes to get the paperwork. She can feel herself starting to sweat, before she feels her phone vibrate in her purse. It's Mark, texting her the plans to go to dinner. She smiles at the text, as he's got a table reserved for italian food. She texts back an OK, with a kissy face emoji before stuffing her phone back into her pocket. At least she had something to look forward to tonight, and after dinner, Mark had _loved_ his dessert. And now she feels like she should have sent a smirk emoji instead. _Dammit, Lexie_.

Addison's in the test results room, looking at the scans. The swabs. Everything. She's trying to tell herself that she can tell Lexie the news, but how can she do that? And to the love of Mark's life, too? God, why did Lexie have to come to her? _You're a professional, Addison. One of the best. That's why she came to you._ Her voice rings in, to assure her. Lexie knows that Mark trusts her, in turn, Lexie trusts her. _Get it together, Red._ She hears Mark tell her. She wipes her forehead, before picking up the test results and descending down the hall to her office.

( M & L )

Mark is at the restaurant, waiting for her. _She's got paperwork. A patient at the hospital. Traffic. Car accident, that's paged her to the hospital. Ironically enough, she's in the traffic for that car accident._ Mark tries to tell himself everything as he sips a beer, looking at all of the stares he's getting in the restaurant. The waitress comes over to ask if he wants to order, before telling her _not yet. My girlfriend has to get here first._ She complies, before walking off to another table. Mark smacks his lips together, wondering why Lexie hadn't called, or at least texted. Usually she was good like that. Mark would order the food, wait for them to bring it out before getting it to go and splitting it with Lexie that night when she got home. They're doctors; they're used to it.

But she doesn't come. Reservations were for 9, but it's 10, and he still has no clue where she is after 5 sent texts to her. All unread by her. He gets his jacket, before saying _screw it,_ and walking to the door to exit the restaurant and go home.

( M & L )

His car pulls into the driveway, opening the garage as he slowly drives in, parking his car and shutting it off. The house lights are on, so he knows Lexie is home. Mark raises an eyebrow when he realizes that she had to have gotten a ride home. Something. He gets out of the car, closing the garage before walking inside to find an empty living room and kitchen. A bottle of wine is out, as Mark walks over and puts the cork back into it before putting it back onto the rack.

"Lexie?" He asks, before walking to the stairs and to the hallway bathroom. Nothing. He goes down toward the bedroom, going to that bathroom. Empty. The bedroom light is on, before he sees the balcony door open wide, and Lexie's got her Harvard sweatshirt on and a pair of sweats with a glass of wine in her hand, looking out at the tide coming in slowly.

"Hey, you could've called if you just wanted to stay in for the night," Mark says but Lexie doesn't even flinch.

Mark walks to her, before putting a hand on her side. She's got a blank expression. Mark raises a brow, confused. What the hell was going on?

"I... I can't get pregnant." Lexie says, as it burns to say those words. She wipes her eye, as it releases a tear. "And I know that because, well, I asked Addison to do a test on me. You know, because I _know_ you've been wanting to let Sofia have siblings." She says, her glassy eyes looking out into the moonlight-tinted ocean. "And God, I wanted her to have siblings. I wanted to have kids with you. I wanted to wake up in the morning and have your hands wrapped around my stomach. Because you know, what girl doesn't envision that with her boyfriend?" She asks, laughing awkwardly at the thought. "I just... I really wanted to have a kid with you. A baby. A baby of our own."

Mark's blank, looking at her, before she practically crumbles before him, falling into his chest, gripping onto his shirt tightly and cringing into tears, as she unloads the flow onto him. Mark looks out into the distance, to the ocean that doesn't seem to ever end. He holds her close, as she grips onto his tuxedo closely, and he holds her close.

* * *

 **A/N:** So... yeah. And I apologize for not updating my other Slexie story! I will make an update to that soon. I've been on vacation and yeah. :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, no matter the pain it might've brought!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi everyone! I've read a few reviews that have sparked my writing for this story again, and would like to say thank you to those that left reviews. I've been kind of MIA on here, due to sports, getting a job, school year finishing up, etc. but I am hoping to get back on track and update some of my stories. Thank you once again, and I hope you enjoy this emotional chapter.

Contains M-Material!

Also, please don't mind how long it is; I got kind of carried away. Please leave a review if you liked it!

* * *

Wake up. Breakfast. Work. Save lives. Dinner. Bed. Repeat.

Those had been the last few days for Mark, seeing as Lexie mainly remained distant. Though Mark would comfort her as much as he could; sleeping just a little closer, or even giving her lotion massages at night before they went to bed, even encouraging her to join his morning run on the beach (which she opposed heavily). So Mark's in Addison's office, begging her to do something for her. Adoption was certainly an option; Derek and Meredith had chose the route, but Mark doesn't want adoption. Mark wants nine full months of hell and heaven mixed in one sweet womb, inside of his wife's uterus. God knows that he wants it all, and she does too, but things happen, he supposed. Sorrow coats the silver lining in his life, and they sink into something dark and deep. Even if it is just a few days, he hates it.

Heels click out of the elevator as Lexie storms past Mark, getting to her office to focus on work. That's all she does. Work. It's how she distracts herself, he supposes. He sees her slip out of bed at odd hours, going downstairs to review cases. She's emailing Amelia and texting her at the first chance she can get, just talking about work. Amelia's even been down, too, seeing as Amanda's recovery was well, but not as good as hoped originally. Lexie's fingers push the door shut, drawing blinds before she walks to her desk, setting her purse down and immediately putting her head down on her desk. It hurts. Everything. It's the first time in a long time that her body isn't covered with sunshine; it's cloudy, and rainy in LA today. Great, what else could go wrong?

There's a soft knock on the door, and she lifts her head, seeing Addison poke in. Lexie holds her breath, and stares as the redhead makes her way to her desk, heels clicking slowly.

"I brought your file," she starts, brushing back her hair as she sets it on the oak desk. "I wanted to discuss options, Lexie. I know this has been a huge amount of news," she pauses, before looking into Lexie's eyes. "It's not the end. You have options."

Lexie's eyes are solid, not moving a bit before Addison begins to open the file. Addison's searching through papers, as Lexie walks to her window, sliding it open. A small breeze hits her face as she does so, and she turns back to see Mark opening the door and walking in. He's got a cup of coffee in his hand, suit on tight and ready to go. Lexie freezes as she looks into Mark's eyes, walking back to her desk and putting a hand on the oak.

"If you both want to step into my office...?" Addison questions softly, before Mark nods.

He looks up at Lexie. "Come on, Lex. We still have a chance." Mark's words are soft and meaningful, before Lexie nods slowly. She walks to him, slipping her hand into his before she slips a kiss onto his cheek, lips meeting gray stubble. Addison's walking out, and he presses his lips to hers for a peck.

"You can get every other woman pregnant but me, huh?" She asks, hand pressing against his chest as they begin to walk to Addison's office.

He can only offer a small smile, chuckling softly as they follow Addison's lead to her office.

( M & L )

Hands press to open his office door, reading _Sam Bennett_ across the glass. Her lips curl into a smile, hand pressed against her stomach with the other carrying a bag before she walks into his office. He's typing something on his computer, glasses on as he flips to a file before looking up at Naomi with a smile. He leans back in his chair as he sees the bag in her hand; the local breakfast stand a block away from their practice was delicious, and served things to-go. Naomi sets the bag on his desk, before pulling up a chair and sitting.

"You didn't have to walk all the way out there, I could have gotten it." Sam says, ultimately feeling bad about making his pregnant wife walk out there and do the work like that. He feels as if she's already got enough strain on her, with work and all.

She takes out the takeout boxes, setting one in front of him. "Don't be ridiculous, Sam. I'm pregnant; not immobile." She laughs softly, setting silverware in front of him. "You were the same way when I was pregnant with Maya. I'm too pregnant to pick up a box, but when it comes to the bedroom..."

"Oh, stop," he laughs as he uncovers his omelette loaded with vegetables. "That's different."

"Oh, really?" She asks, uncovering her tray of pancakes. The baby was craving pancakes this morning, drenched in syrup. So that's what she got. Pancakes with extra syrup.

Sam begins to cut into his egg, before looking down the hall to see Addison opening her office for Mark and Lexie to step into. "Mark tell you about Lexie?" Sam questions, fork meeting his mouth.

Naomi nods, mouth full of pancakes as she chews for a few seconds, swallowing. "She did. What an awful diagnosis, huh?" She asks, cutting more into her hot cakes before Sam nods, sighing as well.

"You saw how much Mark wanted a baby when he was down here with his daughter. And that was just his grandson; imagine what he wants with Lexie. He seems crazy about her." Sam looks to his wife, as she presses a hand to her stomach.

She looks down, swallowing before looking up to Sam. "I have baby guilt. We get pregnant without even wanting to, and they're in there... heartbroken. And I'm here eating pancakes because my baby is demanding that I do so." Naomi shakes her head. "We'll give them our baby."

"Funny." Sam smiles, shaking his head with a bit of laughter. "Don't keep the baby guilt too long, you've got a patient that wants to meet with you in a half hour."

"Is it them?" She quickly asks, before Sam shakes his head.

"No, it's not. Here's their file; they called this morning, said it was urgent. I scheduled them in before your first appointment, if that's okay."

Naomi smiles. "If I didn't have pancakes on my plate right now, it wouldn't be. You got lucky this morning." She says, before he leans over his desk, pressing a kiss to her lips.

( M & L )

Her office is quiet, only thing making noise is the corner fan that oscillates back and forth. Lexie's sitting on the couch with Mark's hand in hers, as Addison had been up all night preparing a battle plan for getting pregnant when they had wanted to. And Lexie sits, so nervous. It's what she's wanted with Mark for about a year now; and for a while longer, in the back of her head, she supposes. How could she not want a kid with him? He was Mark. Her boyfriend. Her **_boyfriend_**. She's wanted the best for them, ever since everything happened in the plane crash. She's wanted him since... since when she first figured out that George had hardly knew she existed.

And Mark's wanted her since he even gave her the advice. He had thought it was just an older-younger friendship, but what he really wanted was the satisfaction of being with her. And over the years, when they were on and off, he thought that she was just perfect. She was Lexie. Lexie Grey, the girl who had been his goddess. And he did everything to spoil her in any way possible; he loved it all; especially in the bedroom. She would go above and beyond for him, and he'd do the same for her. Maybe that's what kept him so young.

"I ran tests," Addison clears her throat, looking at the brunette as she holds out a file for her to take. "Treatments are completely possible, Lexie. You can get pregnant, you just need a little push."

Lexie looks at Mark, before taking the file and opening it.

Addison sits across from them, sighing. "I uh... listed all the treatments I could possibly do for you to help get you the pregnancy you want."

"Addison... thank you," Lexie says, looking up from the file.

Addison smiles faintly, before Mark looks at Addison, unfazed as he sees Addison's weariness.

"Red, what's that look?" He asks, before sitting up a bit more. "What aren't you telling us?"

Lexie freezes, and Addison looks to the floor, where her black heels are glued to each other because she's so afraid to move. And silence fills the room once more, before she looks at Mark.

"The chances of Lexie getting pregnant are slim. Even with the treatments, I can't say for certain she'll get pregnant. It's a long-shot, but still possible." Addison looks at Mark before sighing. "I can't say for sure we can get her pregnant, but I think with the right amount of treatments and the correct consistency... it's _possible_."

Lexie looks up at Mark, placing a hand on his chest before she feels her eyes begin to tear up. Lexie's finger brushes Mark's beard, before she curls into his body. "Oh," Mark pulls an arm around her as she says the saddened word, and Addison looks back down to the ground.

"She said it's still possible." Mark reassures Lexie, comforting her softly.

Addison licks her lips before looking back up to the couple, determined face on her features. "Lexie, I've been through what you're going through right now. You were me five years ago. Can I share something with you?" Addison asks, as Lexie looks over to Addison, wiping a tear. "I couldn't get pregnant. After I aborted my first baby... I found out I couldn't get pregnant. And I tried everything; mostly I was trying to find someone to have a baby with, but..." Addison trails off, before coming back. "I have a baby boy at home right now, and I get to spend the next sixteen years of my life caring for him, and then on. So it's possible," Addison leans back, looking at the two. "You guys will have a baby. It's just going to take time."

Mark pulls in Lexie, kissing her forehead before she stands up quickly.

"Thank you," she says quickly before she skids out the door with heels clanking quickly against the floor. The door slams, and she's running off to the bathroom.

Amelia's in the office's kitchen, seeing her run by before stepping out into the hall and hearing the door slam shut. She has a look of confusion on her face, before she begins to walk down the hall.

( M & L )

Lexie's splashing water over her face, looking into her reflection. Water droplets slowly make their way down her face as she stares into her reflection, thinking about her future. If Meredith were here, she'd know. Hell, she went through the same problem. Maybe not for the same reason, but she couldn't get pregnant. Except, Lexie can get pregnant. It's just a matter of time, right? That didn't convince herself anything, however, and she feels hopeless. Water drips down her face slowly, as she wishes nothing more than to be in Seattle. She's homesick. She wants to go home. Back to where her family is. Her dad, and his twenty year old girlfriend. To sit back in her old room, curled in blankets and ice cream at her side. She wants nothing more than to stress eat, but on some level, she's still self conscious around Mark. Even though, when she's had a bad day, he brings home a carton of her favorite ice cream for her to eat.

Her head turns when she hears the door open, seeing Amelia poke her head in. Lexie's eyes, watery and glossy quickly blink as if they could dry off in the matter of seconds, before Amelia's walking her way.

"Hey," Amelia puts an arm over Lexie, holding her. "What is up with you these past few days?"

Lexie hadn't dare tell Amelia that she couldn't get pregnant. Not when Amelia had given birth to a child, only to lose it seconds later before its organs were harvested from its body. Lexie didn't know what the boundaries were with that scenario; so she thought it was best to keep quiet about her current situation. Amelia looks at Lexie, who is clearly avoiding eye contact before Lexie wipes her face.

"It's nothing, it's—it's—" Lexie begins to break down again, crouching down and falling onto her ass as she curls up in a ball, crying because she's at the embrace of her best friend who couldn't know what her deal was, and she was in a place where the only people she knew was the one who she couldn't tell any of this to, her boyfriend who wouldn't begin to understand, and her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend who was also her doctor. Tough break.

Amelia's down on the ground with her, holding her in her arms as Lexie breaks down, making mumbles of, _it's okay,_ and, _shh..._

Lexie wipes tears, as she leans into Amelia's embrace, trying to calm herself down but it's no good. Days of pent up sadness and angst begins to pour out of her and she's miserable. Why couldn't she have a kid naturally? To pee on a stick one day because she'd been feeling symptoms, and walk out of the bathroom to hug Mark tightly and whisper in his ear that they finally did it; they were finally pregnant.

Amelia's confused as hell—did something happen with Mark and Lexie? Amelia's mind wanders over every possibility that could make Lexie this way, crying on the tiles of a bathroom floor.

That's when Amelia hears a knock at the door, turning her head. "We're a bit busy in here," Amelia yells out, hugging Lexie tighter.

On the other side is Mark, holding his ear to the door. "Amelia?" he asks, eyebrow raised. "Is Lexie in there with you?"

Amelia looks down at Lexie, as she's quickly pulling herself together, sitting up off the floor. "I'm in here, Mark," she calls out with a shaky voice before the door opens, and Mark looks down at the two women.

Slowly, Amelia stands, looking at Mark before walking out in the hallway where Violet, Addison, and Naomi are all standing. Amelia looks at all of them, blank expression, before walking down the hall and back to her office.

( M & L )

Lexie's crying in Mark's arms for a good half hour. They haven't moved from the floor, hoping that they've kept a good clean on this place, as Mark holds Lexie close, kissing her forehead every so often and letting her know that it's okay. Yet, Lexie can't help but blame herself in the moment. She knows how much Mark wanted a kid, with her especially. Sure, Sofia was his, but Lexie sees the times when Mark brings her home to her two mothers. How happy Sofia is to be home, back with her parents. Not the father that's taken a step back. She looks up to Mark, who's running a hand through her hair.

"I love you," she whispers softly, looking into his eyes before looking down. "And I'm sorry—"

"Don't," he says sternly, before placing a kiss on her forehead again. "This is not your fault. This is the plane crash's. _Not yours._ " He strokes her hair, and she nuzzles herself into his chest. Fingers run down his chest, and she inhales, wiping tears.

She begins to get up, fixing her skirt and slipping back on her heels. She looks in the mirror, fixing her hair and making sure that none of her makeup is too badly damaged. She looks down at Mark, before smiling. "Thank you."

Mark begins to stand up, making a small groan before he places a kiss onto her lips, kissing her softly for seconds. When the kiss ends, and their lips are seconds apart, he looks into her eyes with a small smile. "Cookie dough or rocky road?" He asks softly, before she pulls him into another kiss again, laughing softly in the kiss before she breaks it once more.

"Surprise me." She says before stepping back, looking into his eyes. "I told my patient I'd check up on her this afternoon, so I've gotta go. But I'll see you tonight."

"Don't stay out too late." He says before she smiles, and she looks at him.

She's about to walk out the door before she stops, turning around. "Oh, you may want to walk out with me."

"What, why?" He asks, walking to her side, looking down at her nearly-playful look.

She laughs gently, before shaking her head. "Because Mark Sloan walking out the girl's bathroom alone might seem a little awkward, even for Los Angeles."

He grins, nudging her before he pushes the handle down, opening the door.

( M & L )

Violet sits across to Amanda, crossing her legs. Amanda's had the chance to recover, and is finally out on her own. Violet's got a cup of tea in her hands, overlooking Amanda's file. But half the time, Violet doesn't even use the file; she goes off-script. She gets personal.

Amanda sits, blank expression. The session was short, quiet, and not filled with much talking. Amanda would mutter small answers here and there, but mostly it was quiet.

"Amanda, I really want to get in and explore your past. You're keeping it balled up, and I'm really interested in seeing exactly why you are. Is that okay?"

Amanda shrugs, looking at Violet. "Dr. Turner, can I ask, what were your parents like?"

Violet looks at Amanda before she adjusts her position, looking down, before looking back to her. "My parents were... not the ideal couple." Violet nods, looking down at her cup of tea. "My father was a great user of drugs, and my mother was a woman fresh in her career path. She was the one that raised me. She died a few years ago, and I'm not sure what happened to my father. But growing up was tough." Violet pauses, looking at Amanda. "And your parents?"

Amanda looks down, before exhaling. "My father raised me alone. We lived out in the country, and he was a lawyer. He really inspired me to look into law, and I ended up choosing that as my major. He was older, too, so he was pretty wise. And getting enough good grades, I got into UCLA. And when my sister had her kid, around the same time, he was thrilled. So when I took my pregnancy test, I was so excited to get to call him and tell him that he had another kid on the way. He wouldn't care about a father, but I... I wanted him to have the chance to meet his grandchild before he would forget. Only reason I say that, is because he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago. So... getting pregnant didn't seem so bad. Getting my degree wouldn't be hard, except finding a cap and gown that would fit a pregnant woman." Amanda says softly, looking up at Violet.

Violet nods. "Amanda... having a baby because of that reason isn't exactly reasonable. You're looking at eighteen years of your life being dedicated to a child. And I know that most hardworking students don't want to go through eighteen years of school, then eighteen years of parenting, back-to-back. And I don't mean to criticize what you want but I'm just going off of what I would have thought or reacted in your position."

Amanda wipes a small tear, before nodding. "I understand what you're saying, doctor Turner." She says, before reaching for a tissue on the side table. "Are you a parent?"

Violet smiles softly, nodding. "I am."

"Love that child. Never stop loving that child. Because I will never stop loving mine." Amanda says briefly before wiping her nose with the tissue, and throwing it in the small trashcan. "Would you mind if we—um—cut the session short, today?"

Violet stands, handing Amanda another tissue. "Not at all. Go home and rest easy, Amanda. You're still healing."

Amanda looks at Violet, before taking the tissue and smiling. "Thank you for this, Doctor Turner."

"Do you have a ride home?" Violet asks, knowing that Amanda can't drive. Not after having surgery days prior.

Amanda nods. "My roommate is driving me home. Have a good day, Doctor Turner."

Violet smiles, before watching Amanda exit the room. She watches as she makes her way to the lobby, before rushing to the phone and dialing the "HOME" button. The room is silent as she waits. The line rings and rings, before her housekeeper picks up.

"Hello?" The voice asks, and Violet sits in her office chair.

She sits up, curling up her legs to her chest. "Hi Samantha, is Lucas there? Would you—Would you put him on the phone? I just want to talk to him."

Samantha, Violet's housekeeper agrees and calls Lucas over before handing the phone to him.

"Mommy?" There's a small, muffled voice through the phone that makes Violet smile.

Violet can't help but smile at the voice, sniffling her noise as she let's out a laugh out of pure happiness.

"Hi, baby." She says, wiping a small tear.

( M & L )

Amelia's in her office, responding to emails and eating her late lunch as she does so. She's got emails past what she can handle, and considers hiring someone to manage her email just so she can handle the amount. But emails and responses aren't exactly what's on her mind. Lexie is all she can think about; because for the past week, she's been acting so strange. And Amelia just couldn't figure out why. Of course, Amelia kept quiet, feeling the need to actually filter out this one. So every time she saw Lexie brush off lunch dates, or even small coffee talks in the office's kitchen, she just shoved down what she wanted to ask so badly. A hand stretches to her temple, rubbing it gently before she goes back to typing, before she hears a knock at her door.

"Come in," Amelia says, stabbing lettuce with her fork at eating.

Lexie walks in, looking at Amelia before she slowly closes the door so gently that it almost doesn't even shut.

"Hey," Lexie says quietly as she walks in.

Amelia looks up, before looking back to her computer quickly. "Uh, hey," she says, _trying_ not to seem too interested. She didn't want to get shut down again.

Lexie sits in the chair in front of her desk, before crossing her legs. "I didn't mean to just blow you off back there; really."

Amelia doesn't look away from the screen, before nodding. "Mmhm."

Lexie sighs audibly, before looking at Amelia directly. "I need to talk to you about something."

 _Oh, now you want to talk to me about something? After ignoring me for a whole week when I was going through one of the roughest patches in months? Sure, tell me all about your freaking problems, Lexie. Tell me about how Mark won't put the seat down after he takes a freakin' piss, or how your cell service isn't as good next to your house on the freakin' ocean. Some of us have real problems, Lexie, and if you're not gonna be here for mine, then why the hell should I be there for you when you break a nail when you make the bed?_

"Sure, talk to me." Amelia says quietly, before looking at Lexie, closing her laptop.

Lexie adjusts her legs, getting into a position that's more comfortable. Ever since the crash; she can never just sit normally. She clears her throat before looking down, and back to Amelia.

"I want to start off by apologizing for not being around much the past week. It's been a pretty tough one for me," she says as she looks into Amelia's hazel hues. "I went to Addison to do tests—because you had brought up having children, and I wanted to make sure everything was OK under the hood before Mark and I even started trying." Amelia freezes as her name is mentioned, before locking eyes with Lexie. "I can't get pregnant unless I do treatments. And even then, there's little chance that I will actually get pregnant with a baby."

Amelia looks into her eyes, unsure how to react. Here she was, complaining she couldn't have a baby when the only baby she had was a baby that was harvested for organs because it couldn't survive. Amelia stands up, walking to the window sill before placing hands on it, opening the window as Lexie stands, looking at Amelia.

"I never meant to push you away—I knew you were having a hard week, it's just that my news was pretty tough to swallow..."

Amelia looks at Lexie, before looking down. "You can't get pregnant easily, and when I can, I have a _unicorn_ _baby_." She says with a shaky voice, before shaking her head. "That's messed up, Lexie, I know," she clarifies before putting a hand to her head, running it through her hair. "Here's what I want you to do. Go home tonight. And you don't leave Mark's side."

Lexie looks at Amelia, nodding slowly.

"He's hurting just as much as you, if not worse. Okay? Because you were not there when Addison aborted his baby, and he had me take all of the baby supplies he bought because he was no longer going to be a father. Clothes, bottles, a crib, toys; the whole works. And I took it because my friend at the time was having a baby." Amelia sighs, shaking her head. "That man has baby-issues. And when his grandson was taken away—don't think it didn't drive a knife through his heart."

Lexie runs a hand through her own hair before sighing. "I will."

Amelia walks to Lexie, hugging her tight and wrapping arms around her. "You will get pregnant. Okay? And don't rush it—your jeans never fit the same afterward, anyways," Amelia laughs lightly before Lexie hugs her back tightly.

"Thank you," she smiles, face full of the other woman's hair. "And if you need anything... I won't be preoccupied for you."

Amelia smiles faintly, nodding. "It's a little late but... thank you."

Lexie turns, walking out the door and shutting it before Amelia turns to go back to her desk.

( M & L )

Lexie opens the garage door, looking at the clock in her car which reads 9:51 PM. It's not too late; Mark will still be up, watching the football game if anything. She hits the button to close the garage, before opening the door to the house and stepping in. Inside, the kitchen lights are dim, and the living room light is on with Family Feud playing. Lexie sets her keys down on the counter, putting them into the dish where they kept them. She sets her purse on the table, and she looks around, before opening her purse to search for makeup to put upstairs.

"Mark?" She calls out, and she's looking around for any sign of him. _He's probably in the bathroom,_ she thinks to herself before going back to her search.

She's astonished when she feels hands on her, and his scent. She gasps, feeling calloused hands touch her body.

He curls up to her, breathing on her neck. "I've been thinking about you, today," he says softly before she reaches up, cupping his jaw as he holds her from behind. Lexie stops, before grinning. "Did you get me ice cream?"

He laughs softly, kissing the indent in her neck. "Cookie dough with caramel sauce."

She grins still, and moves her hand down his chest, slowly. "I want to start treatment with Addison as soon as possible. Or — Jake. Whichever one," she says softly, turning her head to kiss him. "And since I can't get pregnant naturally... and if I did, we'd want it anyway..." she moves her hand to his crotch, cupping him with a smirk that's ranked evil on all levels. "Why don't you just forget the condom, tonight?"

And he doesn't know what it is, but he's kissing her now, breathing heavier, and shoves his crotch to her ass so he can show her just how much he's been waiting. "Stress sex, right?" she asks quietly, moaning quietly as he grips her breasts, kneading his thumb over her nipples, kissing her jawline before he makes a quick motion of sweeping her up, and bringing her up the stairs to get to the bedroom.

Sure, not being able to get pregnant naturally sucked, but it also had its benefits, she supposed as she feels hands on her back as he carries her.

Everything would work out great.

( M & L )

Sam's reading his book as Naomi takes off jewelry, taking off makeup and everything. It's a quiet night, like normal, as she steps into the bathroom before turning on the light. She walks inside, and Sam can hear the faucet turn, as she's probably brushing her teeth. That's what Sam thinks to himself, anyway, and he figures he needs to do the same before he closes his book.

"Ow—ooh, Sam!" Naomi shouts, hand pressing against her stomach as she bends over on the counter, crouching as she feels her water break, all while Sam rushes to her.

"The baby?" He asks quickly, before Naomi balls her fist.

She holds in a breath, before nodding. "Yes," she says quickly before Sam grabs the bag they'd packed in advance for this.

"Come on, we'll get you in the car and I'll get Addison!" He says, putting a hand over her back as he begins to walk with her.

"Sam—Sam?" She asks, feeling a sharp pain before Sam sees blood on the white carpet, where Naomi was standing prior.

"Come on Nay, we need to go now!"


End file.
